Washington: Fethullah Gulen, the US-based cleric who Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has accused of planning an attempted military coup in July, will be on the top agenda when US Vice President Joe Biden visits Turkey on August 24.
According to CNN, Erdogan has demanded that the U.S. immediately extradite the 75-year-old imam from his home in Pennsylvania to Turkey.
At a news conference in Istanbul on Saturday, the Turkish President said that the group Gulen leads will be “the number one item on the agenda” during Biden’s visit.
Erdogan added that relations between Turkey and the US “so-so” following the attempted coup in which almost 300 people were killed and over 35,00 people were arrested, remanded, or detained.
The US government has condemned the coup attempt and denied any involvement, however, Erdogan has claimed the US has not been forceful enough in their condemnation of the attempt to remove Erdogan from power. (ANI)